Henna Info & Care

All About Henna

The henna plant, or "Lawsonia inermis" is a shrub that grows best in hot, semi-arid climates (India, North Africa, Middle east). The leaves of the plant contain a dye molecule which permanently binds very well to keratin and stains it in reddish brown hues. It has been used for centuries not only as a medicinal plant, but commonly to naturally dye hair, brows, skin and nails as cultural practices among a variety of peoples. For a longer shelf life, the leaves are dehydrated, crushed and sifted into a fine powder that can hold the dye in almost perfect condition for 12-15 months until it is mixed with a liquid and ready to be released. Henna crops differ from year to year, and the quality of the color depends on how the crop has grown that year. The highest-yielding color comes from henna that is a "Body Art Quality" (or BAQ) standard. The leaves of a BAQ crop contain the most dye which results in the richest stains, in hair and skin. I source my henna powder from a farm in Rajasthan, India in large bulk; it is my favorite powder from my favorite people. My henna powder is a 5x-sifted Organically-grown BAQ Rajasthani henna.

Henna Dye Release

My henna paste recipe consists of my henna powder, organic cane sugar, organic pure lemon juice, distilled water, and organic tea tree essential oil.

Henna paste, when made fresh, starts off a greenish color since it is mostly the henna plant/leaves. Once liquid touches the powder, a process called "dye release" (where the henna dye molecule starts to separate from the rest of the leaves) starts. The entire process of dye release keeps going until there is no more dye in the plant to release. This can take anywhere from a couple hours to a couple months! The dye release process is affected by several factors: temperature, acidity levels, other ingredients, and of course time. 

  • When henna paste is very cold, the process of dye release actually slows down so you can preserve henna by freezing it for several months! When the paste is very hot, the process of dye release speeds way up and the hot henna will expire in several hours. 
  • More acidic henna paste creates a stable dye release. So adding lemon juice to your recipe not only elongates the dye release process over time but this can create darker stains as well.
  • Certain essential oils contain a high level of terpineols and mono-terpene alcohols whose chemistry can help stabilize dye release and slightly alter the red/brown hues in the stain as well. Some essential oils give more of a red stain while others may give more of a brown hue.
  • You should know that the process of dye release, once started, cannot be fully stopped, even when the paste is completely frozen. Even frozen henna paste will likely only last a year at most before all the dye is released inside the cone and the paste has gone bad.
  • When henna paste dries up, it is also not releasing dye anymore. It can only release dye while it is a wet paste, not a dry flake.

How to Get (and Keep) a Rich Stain

The info above is all very important to know when you are trying to get a good henna stain. It is also important to know that humans have several layers of "outer" skin (the epidermis), and as henna paste sits on the skin, the dye molecule slowly seeps into these layers of skin and binds to the keratin (protein) in our skin cells. So although you may think your "henna design is fading," that is not what is actually happening. Your own skin cells on the outer layer are falling off and new skin cells on the inner layer are being created. The skin cells falling off still have the henna!

Knowing all this, getting a rich stain is more self-explanatory. Here are some helpful steps to ensure a dark, long-lasting stain:

  • Starting off with a high-quality henna cone from a freshly-made batch of henna is the first step.
  • Clean (slightly exfoliated) skin without any lotions or sunscreen helps absorb the dye into the skin.
  • The longer you can keep the henna slightly wet on your skin, the longer it will continue to release dye into your skin
  • Keeping the henna cone and skin in a warm environment when applying the paste allows the dye release process to happen a bit faster so you would not need to keep the paste on for days!
  • In colder environments, keeping the paste on for as long as you can (sometimes 12 hours) will help get a better stain, but warmth is always your friend when you want dye release to happen
  • Removing henna paste should always be done without water. Use a pure oil like mustard seed, coconut oil or olive oil to help scrape off the tough parts.
  • Avoid water on the area for at least 12 hours after you've removed the paste. Definitely avoid chlorine pools for as long as you'd like to keep the stain dark.
  • Also, before showers, I like to put oil on the design to help repel water during the shower.
  • Lastly, try not to exfoliate the skin too much.

A henna stain starts off a dark orange color and takes up to 48 hours to fully oxidize and reach its mature deep red color.